Paces
by Fuyu Tatsu
Summary: It takes small steps to get together.


Paces

FT: An Egoshipping. It started off as a multi-chap story, but after TFoT, I think one-shots are better for me.

Teen, cuz nothing major really happens.

They had never really met.

He was from a backwater town that people constantly forgot.

She was from a sea-salt tinted city where people never forgot anything.

He traveled with a bevy of girls to cheer him on.

She traveled with two boys, one obsessed with Pokémon, the other with women.

When they finally met, insults were exchanged, nasty looks, and he took off, trying to convince his pounding heart that she hadn't affected him.

She departed, pushing the incident to the back of her mind, focused more on the boy who never looked at her.

When the boy left for the Hoenn region, Misty was heartbroken, but she couldn't rely on him for her emotional needs. She took over her sisters' Gym, turned it around, and improved it beyond anybody's hopes.

Gary turned his back on training, to follow his grandfather's steps.

As time passed them by, things changed.

Even though the boy promised that he'd call Misty, he never did, and she didn't try to contact him either.

Even though Gary told his fangirls he would never forget them, he did, and the action made him strangely light.

It was a chance meeting that changed everything, several years later, reminding them of old words half-forgotten, the nursing of injuries that never existed, and a single moment where they had found an equal.

Misty was in the hustle and bustle of the city, retrieving goods for the upcoming week, when he had –literally- bumped into her.

Gary was walking backwards, re-tracing his steps, when his back met her shoulder.

Misty dropped her basket, which spilled the contents on the floor between them.

Misty had bent to clean the mess, not noticing him doing the same.

Gary helped pick up the feminine hygiene products that she needed, helping her return them to the basket, while apologizing profusely.

Misty waved off his apologies, saying that she had been in the way.

It was when Misty had looked up to view the man who had bumped into her that they recognized each other.

Nervous laughter was exchanged, and the uneasy chit-chat of people who had never really gotten along but knew one another began.

It was after their sixth awkward silence, that she had excused herself from the conversation, saying that she still had shopping to do.

Gary stopped her about a step away, asking if she would like to meet up later.

Misty asked when, and he gave a date that he was free.

After a moment that seemed too long for him, she agreed, admitting that she might be late, considering her work.

Gary told her he didn't mind, and he didn't.

The date came, and he found himself tapping a nervous beat with his heel, a habit that he –normally- would never allow.

Misty was late, by five minutes, dressed semi-formally in a figure-flattering blue and white dress. He pulled out her seat, helping her sit with gentlemanly manners.

Their dinner was covertly watched by many, and they tried to maintain the manners of old friends.

There was tension though, and by the time dessert was brought out, he wanted to shout at everybody who was staring.

Gary paid the bill, offering a ride in his car back to her home, and she turned the offer down. She thanked him, but said her own home wasn't too far away.

Gary smiled, and admitted that if it hadn't been the last day of his vacation, he would ask her to another place, where people wouldn't be watching so intensely. She tilted her head to one side then the other, with a smile that told him that she agreed.

When he asked if he could see her again, she nodded.

Misty excused herself again, and this time he let her go, watching until her blue and white clad form faded into the darkness.

It was several months before he saw her again, at the local bookstore in his current town of residence, with a small stack of books tucked against her frame, and another in one hand.

Gary waited until she had stepped outside before approaching her.

Their conversation wasn't as stiff as the first time, and there were fewer people who cared to watch.

He offered to show her the place, and she agreed, asking if the next day would be preferable. He thought on his schedule, and realizing that the next day would be hectic, he asked for the day after that, around noon, at a coffee shop. Misty paused, but nodded.

He felt a grin creep up on his face, and he felt as if he was slowly matching pace with her.

He bid her a good day, and they parted ways, her to her hotel, and he to his lab.

He put the guided tour on the calendar, and returned to his work.

The next day was indeed hectic, if not more so, and he forgot the tour until he woke up an hour to noon.

Misty was waiting at the coffee shop, with a large cup of black coffee waiting for him. When he asked how she knew, she said she didn't know how he liked his coffee. She was unsure how he liked it.

She was drinking cocoa, with the lush smell of caramel and sea salt emanating from it.

He noticed, with amusement, they had dressed in contrasting styles.

He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, blue denim jeans, and sturdy black shoes. It was winter on this island.

Misty, however, wore a sky blue sleeveless V-neck shirt, a white fabric skirt with a dappled pattern of shades of blue, and dark blue lace-up sandals. A white jacket with blue trim hung off the back of her chair, but it seemed to be there more for his sake than hers.

Gary finished his coffee, making small talk while she finished her cocoa.

She had come to the island to take a break from battling, and that it was actually warmer here than at the city, something that made him laugh unexpectedly.

'Warm? Here?'

'Of course. It's an island.'

Gary still found it funny, but guided her around the town that was nestled on the small island, showing her little places that were over-looked by tourists that came and went.

She told him that she could fall in love with the island, if it weren't for her work at the Gym. He nodded amiably to that.

By the time the end of the day came, she said that one of the restaurants he showed her would be nice to eat at.

He took her to a small one, where the service was prompt, if laid back. She paid the bill this time, taking the white slip from the tray before he could even think about its presence.

Walking her back to her hotel, she told him that she had enjoyed the tour.

When he asked if she would like to see the bay the next day, she told him that tonight was her last, and that she would be on the ferry back to the mainland by dawn.

He nodded, and told her good night.

By dawn, he was at the harbor watching the mainland ferry depart. She was near the starboard side of the ship, and she waved to him as the boat pulled away. He waved back, with a promise in his chest that he would visit her again.

It was New Year's and she felt exhilarated.

Misty was holding a small party at the Gym, with several close friends. The boy she thought she was in love with wasn't there, but the man she –originally- hardly knew was there, laughing and taking her drink away when he thought she was going to spill it, he was always in sight, or there was always some part of him that was in contact with her.

Gary's arm across her shoulders as he leaned against her slightly, laughing at some ridiculous drunken joke.

His hand on her hip, pulling her close for a photo.

His fingers lightly holding hers, guiding her outside, when the stuffy air got to be too much.

Misty told him that she was glad he accepted her invite.

Gary gave a smile that was adolescently awkward and said he wouldn't have missed it for the world.

It was when they took a turn around the property, in an effort to warm up their chilled bones without going back in, that she noticed that the steps they took were very nearly evenly paced, the silence around them was still awkward, but not as badly as it had been, and she smiled at the thought.

'If I asked you to run away with me, would you?' he asked the fog of his breath hanging above his head for a few seconds.

'It depends on where you're planning on going.' She responded, after a moments' pause.

'Anywhere.'

'Then I'd have to check my schedule.' She teased, nudging her hip against his leg.

Gary laughed, looking up at the stars.

'By the way.' He stopped, looking directly overhead.

'Hmm?' she looked over at him, and then looked up, wondering what he saw. His fingertips on her shoulder made her look to him.

'Happy New Year.' He brushed his lips against her forehead. She stood there for a few seconds, shocked.

He took a step back, but she looked up before he could say he was sorry.

'Happy New Year to you too.' She stepped forward, and kissed him on the cheek. She took his hand and brought him back to the party, where there were numerous toasts to ridiculous accomplishments, like one jab at someone losing his virginity, or first time being intoxicated.

She joined in the huzzahs and good-natured teasing, feeling Gary's arm across her shoulders.

It took a little while, for them to maneuver their lives around so they could meet each other more often.

For him, research dictated his day-to-day life.

For her, it was the near constant stream of new trainers who were hoping for a badge.

But they made it work, slowly, but surely.

It was like learning to walk.

They took a few falls on their first attempts, but they had gotten past crawling, and were taking a few shaky steps.

The first time they got together after New Year's, it was her birthday. He gave her a bouquet of pink roses. She took them and preserved several. The others stayed in a beautiful vase until they finally wilted.

For his birthday, she found him a black leather jacket lined with soft lamb's wool. He kept it one him whenever the weather threatened to turn cold, and always had it when he was with her.

Finagling aside, Misty found herself happier than she had been in months.

Which is why, when he asked, almost two years after that tiny mishap in the store, she accepted his proposal.

It wouldn't be a happily ever after, but they could work on it.

They just had to pace themselves.

FT: I feel so much better. As of today, November 29th, I have written six one-shots in a single sitting (a grand total of nearly thirty pages.). They are infinitely better than chapters. I hope you can forgive me for tainting Fanfiction with that mess.

Reviews are love.

Fuyu Tatsu


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